


Attempt

by cupofkoushi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: HQ!! Writers Valentine's Fic Exchange 2k19, M/M, Short, Slight pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 04:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17800670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupofkoushi/pseuds/cupofkoushi
Summary: Kuroo is in love with one Sawamura Daichi and decides to ask him out for Valentine's Day after failing so often over the last couple of years.





	Attempt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crocustongues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocustongues/gifts).



> Can you believe I got you again, Andy?? HAHA  
> But happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I'm sorry you got me again. This fic really isn't that good but I wanted something simple and to cause Kuroo to suffer a bit.  
> I hope you're having a good one!

Valentine’s Day was never Kuroo’s favorite holiday— honestly, it hardly ever counted as one as far as he was concerned. Valentine’s Day was for those who had significant others to celebrate it with, for those who weren’t afraid to declare their feelings for someone else, both things Kuroo tragically could not relate with. 

Kuroo Tetsurou was still single and was never brave enough to tell one Sawamura Daichi how he truly felt, despite the both of them knowing each other for the last few years. He was hopelessly in love with Daichi. 

The first time Kuroo had tried to guide him and Daichi towards something _more_ was a little after they both had graduated, Daichi Skyping him once they both had returned home after celebrating, unwinding for the night and settling into their respective bedrooms. Kuroo had been so, so exhausted, but he and Daichi had always planned on video calling on their graduation date, both captains having been good friends once nationals had concluded despite the fact they lived hours away from each other.

When Daichi’s face popped up on screen, Kuroo could feel himself smiling into the camera, chuckling at the way Daichi fidgeted with the settings, fingers clearly unfamiliar with how the Skype settings worked. 

“Can you hear me?” Daichi asked on the other end, eyes squinting at the screen in front of him. “I guess I should’ve tried to learn how to use this before—”

“I can hear you,” Kuroo affirmed, laughing when Daichi’s screen blacked out and he could hear a faint groan of frustration on the other side. “You turned off your screen.”

“Clearly.”

“Turn it back on, Sawamura!~”

“Don’t you think I’m trying? I swear, Kuroo—”

Eventually, after some coercing and helpful tips, Kuroo managed to guide Daichi on how to turn his screen back on, Daichi promising to stop touching the icons that presented themselves on his screen so he wouldn’t cause another disaster. 

“How was your graduation ceremony?” Daichi asked once the both of them had finally calmed down and were in agreement on the quality of their call. “Did all of your family come?”

They had spent the night discussing their ceremonies, Daichi in awe at how many families attended the awards ceremony at Kuroo’s high school— to which Kuroo had to remind him that Tokyo was far more impacted than the countryside that Daichi was familiar with.

Daichi had gone out with Sugawara, Asahi, and Kiyoko after graduation, the third years wanting to spend some final time together alone. They were going to meet up with the team in the morning for a farewell breakfast celebration, but the four of them had the night to themselves. They had spent it at a ramen place just talking and laughing about their high school years. 

Kuroo told him about how the Nekoma and Fukurodani third years all met up as well and spent most of the night playing games and watching movies at Bokuto’s house. They had a farewell celebration with their own teams the night before so Kuroo just needed to focus on packing and ensuring he would transition to college safely. 

By some twist of fate, he and Daichi had been lucky enough to attend the same university— Daichi having applied to the one in Tokyo without thinking he would get in, but they did accept him, so now the both of them would be on the same campus for the first time ever.

“I’m really excited to see you,” Daichi laughed, eyes pulled into crescents due to his smile being so wide. “It’s weird to think we won’t be _miles_ apart anymore. We’ll be within minutes of each other.”

“You won’t have to sit in a bus for hours just to drive and see me anymore.”

With a snort, Daichi quirked an eyebrow. “Why do you act like Karasuno came all the way from Miyagi to see just you?”

“It’s okay, Sawamura. You don’t need to lie.”

The both of them burst out into laughter, the sound coming from Daichi’s end of the call a little distorted and lagged, but it was still one of Kuroo’s favorite sounds. He got to hear it whenever they sent videos to each other through Snapchat or Instagram, sometimes he got to listen to it when they called on the phone randomly and Daichi laughed at something he had said. 

Kuroo could recognize that melodic laughter everywhere— it was the same sound that made his stomach flutter and his lips pull into a grin of its own. It was one of his favorite things and Kuroo constantly found himself trying his best to make the Karasuno captain laugh just so he could hear it again and again and again. 

“But in all honesty,” Kuroo continued. “I really am excited to see you around. We talk all the time over text and instant messaging— it’ll be nice to get coffee on campus or something and do it in person.”

Daichi’s smile was soft. Pixilated. But soft. 

“I’m glad you’re going to be there. Suga, Asahi, and Kiyoko are all going to different universities so I was worried about making friends at mine. Luckily I already have one there.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened slightly. It was a simple statement, one that most wouldn’t even bat an eye at. But the word “friend” hung in Kuroo’s mind, weighing so heavily that it was entirely impossible for him to ignore. It was what he and Daichi were after all— they were friends, ex-rival captains too, but it still managed to find a way to crawl under his skin and remind him that friends is what they were. 

So Kuroo blinked for a moment, hearing what Daichi had been saying, but not entirely listening. It was something about how Daichi’s family were going to drive him up on the move in date for the dorms, but Kuroo couldn’t find it in himself to really pay attention. 

Kuroo had been drawn to Daichi long before they had become friends like they were now. He had always been watching the other captain, eyes constantly trailing over short, clean cut black hair, dark brown eyes, award-winning smile. It had been evident on their first meeting when Nekoma came to Miyagi for a practice match that Kuroo was immediately smitten. 

And here they were now, freshly graduated, Skyping from miles away, eagerly awaiting their next chapter in life— one that happened to officially involve each other, even if it was as friends. 

So Kuroo sat there, nodding and humming at the right moments, confidence flooding through his veins as he thought about the possibility of there being something more. Kuroo wasn’t asking for a relationship— there was still a lot that they had to learn about each other. But… A date couldn’t hurt. It could open many doors. 

Kuroo licked his lips nervously, his throat feeling dry. The confidence he had just been feeling slowly started to dissipate. 

“Sawamura,” Kuroo blurted, probably interrupting something Daichi had been saying. “When we get on campus, let’s go get coffee.” 

And like that, the words hung in the air. Kuroo could feel his heart thudding in his chest, could feel his lungs aching as he held his breath.

However, Daichi didn’t even blink. “Sure, Kuroo,” he laughed. “I remember reading online that they had a good coffee shop on campus anyway. I’ll wait for you so we can go together.”

Kuroo’s shoulders dropped a little. He instantly knew that he hadn’t exactly asked for a date, nor did he think Daichi had miraculously read his mind and just magically _knew_ Kuroo’s true intentions behind it, but as Daichi smiled at him through the blurry screen, the last of Kuroo’s confidence flickered out. Getting coffee on campus was something friends did too, and that would be okay for now. 

The second time Kuroo had tried to tell Daichi he wanted something more than friends was when he was delirious from too much caffeine and not enough sleep during finals week. It was more of an accident, really, although he counted it because he wished it had been taken seriously.

As Kuroo slumped into his seat at the very coffee shop he had failed to ask Daichi out for a date to (it had become their usual meeting spot outside of the library), he watched tiredly as Daichi hunched himself over one of his textbooks, lightly tapping his pen against the pages as he dutifully read the paragraphs scrawled out on them. 

“I’m so tired,” Kuroo groaned, rubbing at his eyes. Upon checking his watch, he could see that the coffee shop was going to close soon, its business hours ending at two in the morning. 

This was usually the time he and Daichi would migrate to their dorm rooms and sleep until they both had morning class, but since it was finals week, their library would be open. He and Daichi had already agreed on moving there after so they could continue their cramming sessions. 

“Me too,” Daichi huffed, pulling his eyes up to look at Kuroo. They were brimmed red with exhaustion. It wasn’t too late in the night compared to some of the crazy allnighters they’ve pulled before, but this time it was so much worse since it was the third one they had pulled this week. “I don’t know if I’m even retaining this information anymore.”

“I think they’re closing soon,” Kuroo noted, nodding at the employee who was wiping down some of the neighboring tables, her eyes politely glancing at them every so often. “Are we moving this to the library?”

“You know we are, Kuroo.”

The one thing about having Sawamura Daichi around was that he never let Kuroo get away with any kind of bullshit. At the beginning of the week, Kuroo had pleaded with him, begging Daichi to make sure that Kuroo studied and followed through with his plans on studying and doing final papers all night if Daichi was doing it too, so as long as Daichi was studying late at night, so was Kuroo. And Daichi never let him get out of it, even through his first attempt at trying to earlier in the week by promising he would only nap for half an hour, but Daichi refused to let him. 

Daichi was dependable like that. And since he was so dependable and personable, Kuroo found himself spending almost all of his free time with him.

They would meet at the coffee shop and get whatever hot beverage was recommended to them by the barista that day, sometimes they’d meet in the gymnasium and practice volleyball (neither of them had joined the team their first year, aiming to do it next year instead so they could focus on settling in and adjusting), other times they would just hang out in each other’s dorms. 

Kuroo had made some friends in his classes, particularly his chemistry labmates, and Daichi had made some as well in his kinesiology courses, but at the end of the day, it was always Kuroo and Daichi who would end up together, laughing and complaining about what had gone on in their days. 

So, while Kuroo was a little too exhausted for his own good and definitely not thinking straight, he looked Daichi in the eye, smiled, and opened his stupid mouth to speak. “I’m glad to have you around, Sawamura. Did you know that I like you better than everyone else?”

Daichi had stilled, eyes widening at the declaration. Kuroo immediately sobered up as soon as he saw the stunned expression on Daichi’s face, Kuroo scrambling up out of his seat and grabbing his belongings, shoving his textbooks into his backpack and making sure to grab whatever highlighters he had left on the table. 

“Ready?” Kuroo quietly squeaked, face definitely flushed and heart racing so quickly that it was like he had just finished practice. “Let’s see if we can go grab a table.” 

“You’re acting a little weird,” Daichi commented, but followed suit and grabbed his belongings as well. “There isn’t anything more to say to that?”

Kuroo ignored him.

The employee on shift that night seemed thankful that she didn’t need to come by and remind them of business hours, a light and airy voice bidding them a goodnight as the boys shuffled out of the shop. The cold night air bit at Kuroo’s cheeks the moment they stepped out, Kuroo hissing at the sting across his skin. He immediately noticed Daichi’s breath clouding in between them. 

Kuroo didn’t know how he was supposed to follow up with what he had said. He and Daichi rarely ever shared moments like that in person— where anything other than chiding, bickering, or teasing found its way into their conversation. There were perhaps a few times where Kuroo or Daichi admitted their fondness for each other, like the night after graduation, or a few weeks into the semester when they had gone drinking and Daichi had admitted Kuroo’s company had been keeping him sane. 

It was something he secretly held onto, even months after that event. 

But in person, sober, face-to-face? They usually bickered. 

Daichi had stayed quiet for the most part the rest of the walk to their campus library, Kuroo biting his tongue to ensure he wouldn’t say anything else stupid the rest of the night.

The final time Kuroo had tried confessing that he had more-than-friends feelings for… his friend, was last weekend. They were well into their third year in university by this point, Kuroo and Daichi practically attached at the hip. They were on the volleyball team together, shared two of the remaining general ed courses they needed to graduate, and had upgraded to living off campus in separate apartments yet still spent the night at each other’s frequently. If Kuroo had thought that they were close before, it would pale in comparison to how they currently were.

Kozume Kenma had begun attending their university as well. Kuroo was thankful to have another friend on campus that he was extremely comfortable with. While he was terribly close to Daichi, it couldn’t quite beat out the number of years he had been on a similar level with Kenma. It was reassuring to have such a familiar presence around, and luckily for him, Daichi and Kenma were pretty good friends the more they were around each other. 

Now that he was in his third year and Kenma his second, Kuroo had reminded multiple times that Kenma easily got bored of things, which unfortunately included Kuroo’s love-life. So, thanks to Kenma’s kind and helpful advice, Kuroo had managed to build up the courage to decide on a day and plan something so he could confess. 

_(“You need to just tell Sawamura,” Kenma muttered, scanning over his textbook, hardly looking at his best friend roling around on his bed. “I am tired of hearing you mope. This isn’t healthy.”_

_“How can you hear me mope, Kenma?”_

_“You’re a loud thinker. I can hear you thinking about what to do. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend soon, right? Just tell him or I will tell him for you.”_

_Kuroo rolled over on the bed, eyes narrowed at the small figure huddled over the desk. “You wouldn’t.”_

_“Funny, because I would.”)_

So Kuroo invited Daichi to the coffee shop on campus, nothing out of the ordinary on Daichi’s end. However, Kuroo was completely filled with nervousness. His long fingers clutched at the bouquet of lilies he had ordered and picked up as his foot tapped against the hardwood floors. Daichi would be there any minute and thankfully the shop was empty for the most part. Just in case things were going to go poorly.

Daichi finally did arrive and Kuroo wanted to run. 

Daichi was wearing such a simple outfit. Blue jeans, white t-shirt, black and red flannel over it, with a black backpack that hung off one shoulder. He was dressed so casually and cleanly and Kuroo could feel his throat dry. Sawamura Daichi was one beautiful man without even trying.

“I bought t-these for you,” Kuroo tried with a smile. He handed the flowers over when Daichi settled in the seat across from him, watching as Daichi quirked an eyebrow. “So… Like…”

Kuroo was already fumbling with his words. He could hear the machines up front buzz as they brewed coffee, could hear the faint chatter of other customers, could make out the polite radio music in the background so the shop wouldn’t sit in silence. He could feel the tension in the air, could feel how heavy Daichi’s gaze was on him. 

But Kuroo didn’t know how to proceed. He had a clear idea of what he needed to do: ask Sawamura Daichi for a proper date. He wasn’t sure how that would work out— they’ve done everything this campus and town had to offer already. Been to so many restaurants, been bowling, hiking, visited museums, arcades, shopped, saw movies. Where would they even go?

They’d done so many things together, had spent the last three years traveling on a similar journey, and while they weren’t physically affectionate much, it was always more than being able to hold hands with Daichi and to kiss him (which Kuroo wanted to do plenty). Kuroo adored Daichi entirely. They had been in each other’s lives for years by now, and Kuroo knew he wanted it for the rest of his life. 

But after having such a soft spot for someone for so long and wanting to spend so much time with them, after sharing hopes and dreams and ambitions with them, after pining for endless nights over the fact that he might lose Daichi once graduation neared, Kuroo knew that what he wanted was confirmation that Daichi had fallen in love with him as much as he had. 

Kuroo needed to know that even if they weren’t able to hold hands and kiss, if Daichi rejected him, that at the end of the day, Kuroo would still have him in his life, friend or not. 

So just like that, with the fear of being rejected and losing everything he was worried about, he backed out.

“So how was class?” Kuroo asked politely, sipping on his warm coffee in order to change the tropic. “I skipped this morning— really didn’t feel like doing another lab this week.”

But Daichi didn’t respond. He held onto the flowers in his hands, eyes hardened and firm on Kuroo’s awkward grin. It was a weird feeling and Kuroo was trying to figure out why Daichi was looking at him like he was frustrated and upset. 

“Sorry,” Kuroo meekly chirped. “Did you not like the lilies—”

“They’re my favorite, you know I liked them.”

Kuroo blinked. “Then what’s wrong, Sawamura?”

“That’s all you have to say? You’re really not going to confess?”

Kuroo laughed awkwardly, but he knew there was a bright red blush creeping up his neck. “Confess?”

“You idiot,” Daichi groaned, placing the flowers on the table beside them, narrowing his eyes as Kuroo barked out a ‘hey!’ and yelled back a ‘hey!’ of his own. “I’ve been waiting for how long now for you to say something.”

“What?!”

“I thought you were going to do it one time when we had finished eating at that new barbeque shop in our first year. We had spent the whole night laughing and you had your arm around my shoulders and you were talking about how it had been so long since you felt this way about someone, and I thought you were finally gonna say something but you didn’t—”

Kuroo’s eyes were completely wide, mouth dropped open. He had taken quite a few soju shots while they ate and it was becoming increasingly obvious that he hadn’t remembered saying that at all. 

“Then when we were studying here a long time ago you said I was like your favorite person and I thought, ‘awesome, Kuroo is finally going to do it’ and then you clamped your mouth shut and rushed us out of here!”

Daichi had continued. He had listed off every instance he thought Kuroo was going to say something, or had said something that indicated he had feelings for Daichi. Kuroo had always associated Daichi with being a little dense so it came as a huge shock that hr was sitting here, naming off every instance Kuroo had failed miserably. 

Instances, he didn’t even realized he had been causing. 

“Wait,” Kuroo breathed, interrupting Daichi’s tirade. “You’ve known how I’ve felt about you for this long and _you_ never said anything?”

It fell silent once more, a dark crimson coloring Daichi’s tanned skin. His expression melted into something softer, more timid, almost careful. It was endearing. “I wanted you to do it. I realized you might’ve wanted something more but I hadn’t come to terms with my feelings yet. I still saw you as a friend back then. It felt wrong if I was going to take that from you.”

Kuroo deadpanned. “That’s not how it works.”

“What do you mean?”

“People don’t confess because they’re afraid of rejection. Sawamura, if I had known that you weren’t going to reject me, I would’ve told you ages ago! You knew I wouldn’t have rejected you! You should’ve said something!”

Daichi sighed, pointedly looking at him. “We’re practically a couple anyway, Kuroo. I see you all the time. How is it any different?”

“We could’ve held hands or something!” Kuroo whined, frustration slightly creeping through his bones.

He had spent the better part of the last four years wanting more from Sawamura Daichi, and this entire time Daichi had guessed what Kuroo felt and let him struggle with it. Numerous times he had embarrassed himself, had made a fool of himself. 

Maybe Daichi really was just dense and had just gotten lucky one time. 

But Daichi just snickered, reaching his hands over the table and grabbing Kuroo’s hands in his own, rubbing a thumb over Kuroo’s placing them in between them. “You wanna hold hands, Kuroo?”

Kuroo sputtered, trying to tug his hands free but Daichi held on, as sturdy and firm as ever. The devious grin he wore was a sight to see, their positions completely switched. Kuroo was normally the sarcastic and conniving character between the two, yet here Daichi was, grinning at him like he had won something.

“You’re embarrassing,” was all Kuroo could mutter, averting his gaze to the side. 

He could feel the warmth that Daichi radiated, feel how strong his hands were. They were definitely volleyball player hands, ones that Kuroo worked with almost everyday. So familiar. 

So Daichi.

“Did you want to finish?” Daichi guided, tapping on Kuroo’s palm lightly. “Or did you want me to?”

“No.”

“No?” Daichi barked out a laugh. “Are you pouting? How unlike you.”

“I’ve been in love with you for who knows how long, Sawamura Daichi. I’ve wanted to date you since high school. Of _course_ I’m pouting.”

Daichi just laughed, the sound so joyous and pleasant in Kuroo’s ears. It had always been one of his favorite sounds, and he tried so hard to keep his stony exterior up, tried desperately to convey to Daichi that he really was upset, not just at the situation but himself.

But the more and more he listened to Daichi try to provoke him into properly completing the task he gave himself to do, the way Daichi would chuckle in between sentences and please, he could feel his resolve weaken.

Just like he knew it always would when it came to Sawamura Daichi.

“Would you please join me this Friday night for Valentine’s Day?” Kuroo huffed, voice slightly muffled as he still wasn’t entirely happy with the turn of events. “There’s some stupid couple’s thing going on at the movies. I don’t know what it is— it sounds lame— but I’ve never had a Valentine’s celebration before so what do I know?”

Daichi just laughed again, laughed and laughed. “It’s a date, then.”


End file.
